This invention relates generally to agricultural silos. More particularly, the instant invention relates to silo construction characterized by a dormer door for minimizing unwanted air currents in the silage unloader chute and for preventing material from entering the chute during a silo loading operation.
As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, modern silos normally include a plurality of vertically spaced apart silage discharge openings defined in a wall thereof and an elongated, generally tubular silage discharge chute which abuts the silo and overlies the openings. In silos wherein a single passage chute is employed the interior of the chute becomes dirty and grimy during the unloading operation. When the ladder rungs within the silo chute become grimy or slippery it can be difficult and inconvenient for the farmer to move within the chute. In order to remedy problems of this nature, silage chutes have been divided into separate access and silage discharge passageways. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,345, issued Jan. 9, 1973, to the same assignee of the invention disclosed herein the silage discharge chute is divided into an inner, access passageway and an outer silage discharge passageway which receives forage outputted from the silo. A plurality of door panels engagable to direct ensilage into the output passageway prevents contamination of the access passageway. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,625, issued Mar. 19, 1974, the silage is contained within a separate discharge pipe housed within the access passageway to prevent contamination of same. Thus, with twin passage discharge chutes of the type described, silage being discharged from the silo is prevented from contaminating the interior of the access passageway.
As silage is discharged from the silo it will be directed downwardly through the chute's silage discharge passageway and out of the chute into a usually horizontally oriented silage handling device. Often an upward chimney draft will draw chaff and dust into the chute during unloading. When closed, the dormer door will alleviate "chimney effect" draft problems of this nature. Thus, when employed in combination with a twin passageway silage discharge chute of the character described previously, the dormer door will help to maintain the cleanliness of the access chute passageway.